Violaceous Quail-Dove Geotrygon violacea Scientific name definitions

This quail-dove’s wide circum-Amazonian distribution encompasses Nicaragua south to northeast and southeast Colombia, Guyana, Suriname and discontinuously through eastern Brazil to southeast Paraguay and northeast Argentina, and northern and eastern Bolivia. The species is found to at least 1650 m, usually in primary evergreen forest, but also in tall second growth and even plantations. Everywhere it seems uncommon and rather local, especially in the north of the species’ range. Over the greater part of its range the only sympatric quail-dove is the much commoner Ruddy Quail-Dove (Geotrygon montana), which is easily separated from the Violaceous Quail-Dove by its much browner head and underparts, as well as broad pale stripe over the ear coverts, and by its slightly larger size. The Violaceous Quail-Dove is rather more arboreal than many Geotrygon species, although it regularly descends to the ground to feed on fallen fruits and probably on small invertebrates. However, most aspects of the species’ ecology are still rather poorly known.

Male 21–23·5 cm, female 21–24·5 cm; 93–150 g. Forehead and face greyish white becoming greyish mauve on crown, then iridescent purple or amethyst on hindneck and mantle; rest of upperparts  brown suffused with purple iridescence, absent from primaries, outer secondaries and outer wing-coverts; throat and breast white tinged purple; pale malar stripe running to below the eye; flanks buff, belly  and undertail-coverts white; underwing mottled white, black and chestnut; iris orange-brown or yellow-brown; bill and cere carmine; feet and legs coral red. Female duller; purple gloss only on hindneck and upper back; face and throat pale grey; neck and breast brownish with purple tinting; iris brown. Juvenile, similar to female, but darker, lacking iridescence and feathers scalloped cinnamon and dull rufous. Race albiventer bluer on head, breast and mantle.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Frequents heavily shaded undergrowth in tropical lowland evergreen forest, secondary forest and cacao plantations up to 1650 m. More arboreal than congeners, frequently seen perching in upper part of understorey.

Seasonal movements and even distribution poorly known. In east-central and south-east Peru the few available records are mainly from the dry season (May–October). The lack of records there between November and late January probably reflects poorer coverage during the wet season, but seasonal movements may possibly occur, perhaps to exploit regional peaks in fruit production (1 Díaz, A. and Dimmig, G. (2017). Distribution of Violaceous Quail-Dove Geotrygon violacea in Peru with four new localities Cotinga. 39: 40–43. Close ). Such movements have also been hypothesised for G. violacea in the Alta Floresta region of south-central Amazonian Brazil (4 Lees, A. C., K. J. Zimmer, C. A. Marantz, A. Whittaker, B. J. W. Davis, and B. M. Whitney (2013). Alta Floresta revisited: an updated review of the avifauna of the most intensively surveyed locality in south-central Amazonia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 133(3):178–239. Close ).

Seeds and fallen fruits and probably small invertebrates. Forages on the ground  .

Advertising call is a repeated, single, rather high-pitched cooing note (duration c. 1 second, pitch c. 500–600 Hz). Easily confused with much commoner Leptotila rufaxilla, but coo has a slight frequency modulation, which renders it a more mellow plaintive character, unlike the (normally) duller flat pitch of the Leptotila.

In Colombia, four breeding condition birds taken in Mar–Jun, and a juvenile in Jul, with a barred juvenile taken in late Sept; in Panama, nest with eggs found in Jul; in Paraguay, adults with enlarged gonads in Nov. Stick nest located 2–3 m above ground. One nest contained two buff-coloured eggs.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Local and scarce in Caribbean lowlands and foothills of Costa Rica and Nicoya Peninsula; more numerous in moist forest along Pacific slope of the Cordillera de Guanacaste. Seemingly scarce in Panama, where there have been few records. Considered rare or very uncommon in Colombia. Uncommon in Venezuela, but seen with more frequency on the Paria Peninsula. Poorly known in Peru but present in low densities in primary Amazonian forest at several east-central and south-east localities (1 Díaz, A. and Dimmig, G. (2017). Distribution of Violaceous Quail-Dove Geotrygon violacea in Peru with four new localities Cotinga. 39: 40–43. Close ). Apparently sparsely distributed in Amazonian Brazil (4 Lees, A. C., K. J. Zimmer, C. A. Marantz, A. Whittaker, B. J. W. Davis, and B. M. Whitney (2013). Alta Floresta revisited: an updated review of the avifauna of the most intensively surveyed locality in south-central Amazonia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 133(3):178–239. Close ) and rare to uncommon elsewhere in South America (1 Díaz, A. and Dimmig, G. (2017). Distribution of Violaceous Quail-Dove Geotrygon violacea in Peru with four new localities Cotinga. 39: 40–43. Close ).